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Five best natural encounters near Darwin

If you thought the Northern Territory was all red dirt and cowboy hats, there’s lots more for you to learn about the most northern capital city of Australia, Darwin.

Its population might earn the city of Darwin the crown as Australia’s smallest capital city, but it’s rainfall positions it as the wettest.

Where it rains, it waterfalls; and thanks to that, Darwin’s natural encounters come by the ute-load.

If you find yourself in the top end, check out these national parks within the CBD’s reach.

Wangi Falls from above | Image by Tourism NT/Dan Moore

1. Litchfield National Park

If they were running a beauty competition for most photogenic national parks, Litchfield National Park would beat out all competitors for the sash.

It covers approximately 1500km2, making it two and a half times the size of Disneyland. The similarities don’t stop there either, Litchfield National Park could easily rival the former’s title as happiest place on earth – at least if you ask anyone cooling off in its natural swimming holes in summer.

Pack your swimmers and keep your camera handy for its famous three waterfalls – Florence, Wangi and Buley Rockhole.

You’ll get a taste of what the outback is all about as you wander The Lost City, a concrete clay jungle made of termite mounds, which are all built in a north-south orientation in Mother Nature’s answer to town planning.

Sure, Litchfield National Park could be explored in a day. But if you’re serious about your bushwalking, make a weekend out of it, tackling one of the multi-day hikes, camping your way across the park.

Distance from Darwin: Set your GPS 116km south-west of Darwin to find Litchfield National Park.

4. Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park

Not all nature is above the surface – to find the Cutta Cutta Caves you’ll need to dip 15m below the surface.

Once underground, you’ll be face to face with this limestone cave system which spans just shy of 1,500 hectares. Don’t worry, you won’t be finding your way in the dark, only one cave is open to the public and is perfectly accessible with lighting and walkways.

You’ll be thankful to have a guide to explore the caves, which are rich with Indigenous Dreamtime stories.

Keep your eyes peeled for more than just stalactite and stalagmite formations, it’s not uncommon to see the ghost bat and (harmless) brown tree snake.

Distance from Darwin: There’s 345km between Darwin and this cave system. Pair this day trip with Katherine Gorge to tackle two natural encounters in one day.

Charles Darwin National Park is popular for mountain bikers | Image by Tourism NT/Travis Deane

5. Charles Darwin National Park

Made it to the Top End and don’t want to leave the shadows of the CBD? We get it – hiring a car can be costly, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the national park action.

Charles Darwin National Park is in the centre of the CBD action, packing into its 13 square kilometres both modern (WW2) and ancient (Indigenous) history.

It’s dubbed one of Australia's most important wetlands for good reason, with over 51 mangrove species alone.

Take a stroll to discover historic sights and interpretive signage that explain Darwin's role in the Pacific War.

Distance from Darwin: Only four kilometres from the city. It’s so close you can still see the skyline.